portrait of Scott Anderson

Scott Anderson's career highlights:

  • Baystreet Grill (Edison, NJ)
  • Teresa Caffe (Princeton, NJ)
  • Nova Terra (New Brunswick, NJ)
  • Mediterra (Denver, CO and Princeton, NJ)
  • Les Copains (Princeton, NJ)
  • Ryland Inn (Whitehouse Station, NJ)
  • Lawrenceville Inn (Lawrenceville, NJ)
  • elements (Princeton, NJ)

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Scott Anderson

Chef Owner

"Opening a restaurant isn't new. But opening a restaurant that aims to be new over and over is new," says the smiling, engaging Chef Owner Scott Anderson, about elements, the restaurant he and Stephen Distler opened October of 2008 on Route 206 in Princeton, NJ.

The name is significant: the restaurant will draw on diverse resources, but will look at each element of its palette for direction. Local produce as well as worldwide cooking styles will influence his work. "It's almost like you're listening to the ingredients," says Scott. For this reason, a meal at elements will always be an event.

True to the ingredients, and to its name, elements will feature simple-to-understand chords of flavors constantly reinterpreted. The chef wants to remain open to inspiration and the mood of the moment. A green salad with citrus would not be exactly the same twice, nor would it appear the same way every time you order it. The best analogy is that of a jazz musician who constantly riffs on melodies to keep each experience fresh. Instead, true to the ingredients, and to its name, elements will feature simple-to-understand chords of flavors constantly reinterpreted.

We call it "Interpretative American Cuisine," because we think of our dishes as canvases and paint what feels right, while staying grounded in the essence of the ingredients. The Chef is giving similar creative latitude to the team in the kitchen.

 

News

elements' Scott Anderson on his Best Meal of 2011
as published in Opinionated About Dining (OAD)
I always find the Meal of the Year post to be highly informative. Not only does it include a number of restaurants that I never heard of before, it allows me to keep track of important trends in the world of fine dining. Among the things that I learned from this year’s responses are the following:

Read the rest including Scott's responses here.

(posted on 12/20/2011)
Scott Anderson one of Esquire Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2011
"If Anderson had merely given Princeton its one great eatery, he'd be a hero, but he is in fact in the vanguard of modern global-American cuisine."
Scott Anderson has been selected as one of Esquire Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2011. See the article here.

(posted on 10/11/2011)
Chef Scott Anderson talks about Foodie Fridays
Chef Scott Anderson talks about Foodie Fridays

see the video here

(posted on 07/27/2011)
A Tale Between Two Cities
elements now rated one of New Jersey's top 25 restaurants, among the finest in the region.

Read more here

(posted on 07/20/2011)
Another Glass Please
Elements Restaurant receives the Two Glasses "Best Of" Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator!

Read more here

(posted on 07/20/2011)
news 12 segment with elements
Princeton restaurant cooks with Jersey fresh produce
News 12 segment with elements See the complete video clip here.

(posted on 07/01/2011)
elements chef/owner wins Jersey Seafood Challenge
by Peter Genovese
Sixteen chefs from all corners of the state competed in the Jersey Seafood Challenge at the governor's mansion today....

(posted on 07/01/2011)
Chef on Chef
Dora Dunn talks anything but turkey with Scott Anderson of elements
Don't tell Eddie I said this; the truth is that despite some shocking bad meals and some edgy conversations, reviewing restaurants and interviewing chefs is not exactly worthy of hardship pay...

(posted on 06/24/2011)
gourmet destinations
elements in princeton
You never know what you're going to find inside elements.

It might be strawberries grown a few miles away...

(posted on 06/14/2011)
5@5 Mixologist Mattias Hagglund
5 Ingredients You Might Not Think of Including in Cocktails
Our managing editor already waxed poetic about the refreshing revelation that is tomatoes and booze. Now, it's Mattias Hägglund's turn to get in the mix and raise up those unsung heroes of the cocktail world. Perhaps we should mention he's the mixologist at elements in Princeton, New Jersey - so let's just say being behind the bar is kind of his thing.

Five Ingredients That You Might Not Think of Including in Cocktails, But Really Should: Mattias Hägglund

read the entire post here.

(posted on 08/06/2010)

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